What went right: After an initial punch to the gut, CU fought back to pull within four points midway through the second quarter. The Buffs' rally didn't last long, though, as Washington closed the half on a 15-2 run.

What went wrong: As was the case most of the year, the Buffs simply couldn't match up with superior talent. Washington dominated in the paint and CU couldn't stop high-scoring Kelsey Plum (27 points).

Star of the game: Kennedy Leonard. The freshman had 21 points and four assists for the Buffs, hitting seven of 15 shots, including six of 14 from 3-point range.

What's next: CU's season has come to a close and the Buffs now head to the offseason.

SEATTLE - As the seconds melted off the clock late in the fourth quarter on Thursday night, Jamee Swan sat on the Colorado bench and cried.

CU's lone senior saw her college career come to a close with yet another disappointing result from the Buffaloes, a 67-51 loss to fifth-seeded Washington in the first round of the Pac-12 women's basketball tournament at KeyArena.

Swan had nine points and eight rebounds in her final game with the 12th-seeded Buffs (7-23), who once again struggled to compete with a Pac-12 foe.

Colorado head coach Linda Lappe saw her team fall to Washington, 67-51, on Thursday night at KeyArena in Seattle in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Freshman Kennedy Leonard had a team-high 21 points, but for the Buffs this game was a microcosm of the season. They had some good moments, but not nearly enough to keep up.

Kelsey Plum, the nation's third-leading scorer, had 27 points for the Huskies (21-9), who jumped to a 12-3 lead and never looked back.

While Leonard had a good night, few others did for the Buffs, who made just 30.8 percent of their shots (20 of 65).

Leonard, Swan and Haley Smith helped CU cut its early deficit to 25-21 midway through the second quarter. Plum then drilled a 3-pointer to spark a 15-2 Husky run to close to the half. CU trailed by at least 13 points throughout the entire second half.

After a rough regular season, CU was hoping KeyArena would provide a fresh start. It was a new venue, but the same Buffs showed up. They struggled to score, couldn't get key stops and didn't make the plays needed to stay in the game.

CU set a program record with its 23rd loss of the season, topping the old mark set by the 1984-85 squad that went 6-22.

The Buffs also finished 0-14 on the road, marking the first time since 1975 - the program's inaugural season - that they failed to win at least once away from Boulder. The 1975 team was 0-7 on the road.

This was also the first time in the five-year history of the Pac-12 Tournament that the Buffs failed to win at least once. They were 4-0 in first-round games coming in.

As for Swan, it was a bitter end to what was a very good career personally. The 6-foot-2 forward from Marana, Ariz., finished her career with 1,245 points (19th all-time at CU), 772 rebounds (seventh) and 176 blocked shots (third).

Notable

Leonard had four assists, giving her 139 for the season, tying for the ninth-best total in team history (fourth-best total for a freshman). It's the most for any CU player in 14 years. ... Alexus Atchley, a senior starter and captain for Washington, had 10 points for the Huskies. She began her career as a walk-on at CU, scoring two points in 17 minutes during her lone season in Boulder (2012-13). ... CU went 0-3 against Washington this season and closed the year with back-to-back losses to the Huskies. ... Freshman Alexis Robinson was 0-for-12 from the floor. Over the last five games, she hit just 14 percent of her shots (six of 43).

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